Dreams and Irritation

Lately, I've been able to wake up remembering bits and pieces from my dreams.  Lately they've been fairly mundane, things about walking to places, memories of high school, and stuff like that.  Last night was a bit different, however.  It may be just because I slept for so long, but who knows?

Dreams feel so normal when you're in them.  It's like how the movie Inception  is, in that you suddenly are in the middle of it all, yet it feels completely normal to you despite you not recalling how you got there. Or at least that's how you remember them after you've woken.

What I can remember of last night is vague, but there were a few key things to note.  The beginning (of what I can remember) took me through the world in first person, and for some strange reason, it reminded me of Fallout. I ended up going to several different places, including a gas station and a store.  It appeared to me that I was in the United States.



Then, for some reason, I kept running into a friend of mine, who spoke with me once, but then continued on their way.  In my dream, the person I had talked to was a good friend of mine (funny, how you can develop relationships with people who you don't even recognize outside of the dream world).  Apparently being so close to this person made me completely offended for the rest of the dream, because after the one conversation we had, they avoided me like the plague.

I wondered to myself whether or not it was because I had said something wrong, or if they had important things to do elsewhere (which, for some reason, I kept following them around or running into them in different places -- it did not seem that they were too busy).  My main beef with this dream friend of mine was that they had written me off so easily when I was only in the US for a visit (I currently live in Australia. My dreams have been catching up to this fact finally, as I have only recently begun dreaming about driving on the left side of the road).

I was just so irritated at this dream friend of mine for ignoring me so blatantly. I would call out to them and they would not even look my way.  I'd wave at them when running into them at the gas station, and they'd just turn to their own car and drive off.  It began to piss me off.

I ran into my mom in the dream a little later on, and I told her about how annoyed I was at the dream friend.  She helped me laugh it off, and we started back home.  Suddenly, I stood at the road, near the mailbox. The ground around me was dry and mostly dirt.  The trees were bare and black.  The only thing with a motor I saw was a tractor.

I turned toward the driveway and suddenly saw a cougar. It stalked around near the road alone. I asked my mom about it, but she had nothing interesting to say about it.  I began going up the driveway (in jumps, it's like bits of that journey and chunks of my driveway were missing).  By the time I reached the front yard, it was dark.

I recall going up the stairs after my mom, being careful to avoid the cougar that seemed to have followed me around. I remember seeing the dining room's light being on, and the wooden table in the corner of the room.  I looked over the dining room table and to the window, where I saw my younger brother standing on the other side, with his forehead against the glass, and his palms wide open against it as well.  He stood motionless until I came to the door and opened it.

I asked him if he had seen the cougar, and without a response from him, we walked to the top of the stairs on the porch, overlooking the yard.  A tree was to the left, and we noticed the cougar jump into it.  I looked towards where the cars usually are parked, and saw a white car, possibly the old Corsica we had a while back.  The cougar suddenly leaped towards it, in full view by the right side of one of the outdoor lights.

Just as soon as it had jumped down, it turned towards the house and began running at a deer that had just revealed itself from the bottom of a bush (probably the climbing vine thing my mom has).  It pawed at it for a second while running after it, all the while getting closer to the bottom of the steps.

Then, without warning, my heart jumped into my chest as the cat began running at a medium pace up the stairs.  My brother and I ran towards the front door, and I clumsily attempted to open it.  I finally got my hands to work, only to find that the door knob was locked.  I called out to my brother, saying that he had locked the door on our way out (I recalled him having touched the door before we both stepped out, but he may not have).

I turned on my heels and the cougar had just reached the top of the stairs.  The first thing that came to mind was to try to look big in order to protect us, and hopefully scare away the cat.  I lifted my arms and made a yell that would hopefully do the trick, but it did not work.  The last thing I saw before I woke was the cat leaping on top of my brother and going for his throat.

I woke up a bit suddenly this morning, and the dream stayed with me all day.  I looked up a few of the things in my dream online, via this website.  What I found was pretty interesting, so I'll post it below .

Ignore 
To dream that you are ignoring someone or being ignored, represents some aspect of yourself which you are not paying enough attention to. Perhaps you are overlooking something. Alternatively, it may reflect your real waking experiences of being ignored by that person.


Gas Station 
To dream that you are at a gas station, indicates a need to reenergize and revitalize yourself. You may be running low on energy and need to take time out to refuel. The dream also represents your ability to convert outside resources and use it for your own needs. Alternatively, dreaming that you are in a gas station means that you need to reach out to others and offer your help.


    Pursuit (following dream friend)

To dream that someone or something is in pursuit of you, indicates that you are refusing to acknowledge a certain viewpoint or idea.

To dream that you are in pursuit of someone or something, suggests that you are being denied of your power and influence. You need to re-evaluate your strengths and concentrate your efforts in something more worthwhile.

*Please also see Common Dreams: Chase

Mother 
To see your mother in your dream, represents the nurturing aspect of your own character. Mothers offer shelter, comfort, life, guidance and protection. Some people may have problems freeing themselves from their mothers and are thus seeking their own individuality and development.

To dream that you are having a conversation with your mother, denotes a matter that has preoccupied your mind and you are not sure how to deal with it in your waking life. It indicates unresolved problems that need to be worked out with your mother.

To hear your mother call you in our dream, suggests that you have been negligent in your duties and responsibilities. You are pursuing down the wrong path.

Brother 
To see your brother in your dream, symbolizes some aspect of your relationship with him. It can also serve to remind you that someone in your waking life has certain characteristics or behaviors similar to your brother.

Desert (The conditions near my driveway were very desert-like)
To dream that you are walking through a desert, signifies loss and misfortune. You may be suffering from an attack on your reputation. Deserts are also symbolic of barrenness, loneliness and feelings of isolation and hopelessness. The desert landscape may also be a metaphor for feeling deserted and left behind.

Night 
To have a dream that takes place at night, represents some major setbacks and obstacles in achieving your goals. You are being faced with an issue that is not so clear cut. Perhaps, you should put the issues aside so you can clear your head and come back to it later. Alternatively, night may be synonymous with death, rebirth, reflection, and new beginnings.

Cougar

To see a cougar in your dream, symbolizes wild beauty, power,  grace, and raw emotion. It often refers to feminine power and aggression. Thus, the dream may represent a woman. Alternatively, it indicates lurking danger and death.

Attack 
To dream that you attack someone, represents pent-up frustration and anger. You feel that you have been wronged. Your dream serves as an easy and safe way to express your anger.

To dream that you are being attacked by someone, indicates your character is being questioned. You feel the need to defend yourself. You are feeling stressed, vulnerable and helpless. You may also be facing with difficult changes in your waking life. Dreaming of an attack provides a way for you to confront these situations that you may be avoiding in real life.

To dream that you are being attacked by an animal, is a warning to be careful with those around you. Take notice of who you know in your waking like that shares and exhibits the same qualities of the animal that attacked you in your dream.

To dream that you kill an attacking animal, suggests that you are going against your instincts or gut feeling.